The Law & The Gospel | Week 5

Welcome to New Life Community Church this morning.

Most of you guys are members here, you're part of the family

but if you are visiting, my name is Jasper.

On the associate pastor. Here, we welcome you, especially

thanks for being here today. So what we're going to do, we

have been going through a series called the law and the gospel.

And we've been looking at the story of Nicodemus.

Okay. Now, this is in the Book of John

John 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3. So go ahead and turn there.

If you've got your Bibles. And we're going to be continuing

on in this this series. Okay, so today, what we're going

to look at in John 3, were specifically going to focus on

verse 4 and will read that in just a second.

And today we're going to look at this need for some clarification

and I'll explain all of that in just a moment.

But go ahead and turn to me to John 3.

Let's read. We're going to go ahead and

start at verse one, just to kind of recap and then we'll get

rolling. Okay, so John chapter 3,

John 3 · chapter mention

Starting at verse 1 now, there was a man of the Pharisees named

Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night

and said to him. Rabbi, we know that you have

come from God as a teacher for no one can do these signs that

you do. Unless God is with him, Jesus

answered and said to him. Truly, truly, I say to you.

Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God

Nicodemus. I said to him, how can a man be

born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time

into his mother's womb and be born, can he?

Now if you're reading from the ESV which I normally do, this

was the nasb. The ESV says, how can man be

born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into

his mother's womb and be born? So that's the verse that we're

going to really camp out on today and talked about in

today's sermon before we get started.

Want to pray for us. So join me in prayer and then

we'll get rolling. Okay.

Father God we again are just thankful for today.

We are thankful to be here. We're thankful to be able to

worship together as Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

Father, we are grateful for all you have done for us.

We sing your praises today. We worship you today in this

place when we pray now that as we open your word as we read it,

and we look, we look at this story that you open our minds

and our hearts to receive whatever it is.

You want us to hear this morning, please speak through

me. Please have your way in our

hearts. Lord.

We pray and ask it in Jesus name.

Amen. Amen.

So we've been going through this series, as I mentioned, Kyle has

done a great job of walking us through multiple passages.

We've looked at verses 1 through 3 so I'm going to give you a

really really quick recap just to catch you up in case you've

missed any of it, okay? So the story of Nicodemus

Nicodemus was a man of the Pharisees, the ruler of the

Jews. So he was the at the top of the

Food chain when it came to the Pharisees.

Okay. He was the leading God.

He was the teacher of the Jews. He was the man, he was supposed

to know it all. Have it all.

Figured out he was the holiest guy around.

He was the dude, right? All the way at the very, very

top. He's coming to Jesus at night.

So, we've talked about this in depth Y and the significance of

this, but he's coming at night because he's trying to hide the

fact that he's going to visit Jesus, for multiple reasons one.

He knew that if he was, Seen talking to Jesus and asking

Jesus things that that would make him look like he didn't

know it. All he's acknowledging that

Jesus is a higher teacher than he is.

And so he surely didn't want other Pharisees seeing this.

He also genuinely wanted to ask Jesus some things, and he was

embarrassed to be seen with Jesus, so he's coming during the

unknown under the cover of night to come talk to Jesus.

Now, when he gets there and he talks to Jesus, right out of the

gate, he calls him Rabbi, which means teacher.

Okay. So, So, if he's acknowledging

him as teacher, he's saying, I know you're you're higher than I

am. You know, more than me, you

obviously he's saying, nobody can do what you're doing, unless

God is with him, unless he's from God.

And so Nicodemus is acknowledging that, look your

Europe here, I'm here, you're up here.

And so again, that's something he wouldn't have wanted other

people seeing, but he is paying homage in a sense.

He's acknowledging this to Jesus.

And here's what's funny. He comes to Christ.

Never asks a question. He never comes to him and says,

hey, how can I see the Kingdom of Heaven?

He just comes and says, hey, it's obvious that you're from

God. Nobody can do what you're doing

unless he's from God. And as Kyle pointed out, the

signs that he was doing the word for that is not just a miracle.

These were has lost in put it, these were Miracles with a

message, this was more than just performing healings and miracles

something much bigger happening and Nicodemus is acknowledging

this. And so he's saying look, I get

it, you know, God you've seen God, you're something different,

you're a whole new level that I don't even understand.

And all he's doing is acknowledging that and Jesus

tells him Man can't see the Kingdom of Heaven.

Unless he is born again. Nicodemus never asked about

being born again. He never asked how you see the

kingdom of heaven, but Jesus goes ahead and gives him this

answer anyway. Because as if you'll remember

back in chapter 2, verse 25, it says that Jesus knew what was

in, man. He already knew Nicodemus is

hard before he ever even got there, before he ever opened his

mouth. Jesus knew what was on the guy's

mind and what was in his heart and what he wanted to know, he

knew Nicodemus is saying like Jesus, I know you've been with

God. I know you.

Oh God, there's something happening here.

It's something bigger than I understand and I want to know

about it. I want to tell, you know, I just

want to be close to it. I want to, I want to figure it

out. Jesus knew that.

And so he's telling him how you see the kingdom of God?

So, moving on. Jesus, finally tells him, can't

see the Kingdom of Heaven unless you're born again.

So as Kyle pointed out last week, now this would have been

shocking news for Nicodemus. Okay, now he is a man that has

spent his entire life. Working his way up, okay, you

hear that term and our culture, some like in the workplace or

whatever, just constantly trying to work my way up the ladder up

to the next rung of the ladder. So Nicodemus had worked his way

all the way to the top, and Jesus is telling him you got to

start over, you just got to be reborn.

You got to start all the way over.

So this would have just shocked him.

This would have rattled him. I mean, he was all about

figuring out that next level. How can I go even In further in

this. And instead of there being some

next-level that he didn't know about, it's down here, it's

starting all the way over, like all that stuff.

You've done all those accolades. All your learning, your titles,

just toss it out. You got to start all the way

over. And so he tells him, you can't

even see the kingdom of God. Much less inner it, unless you

do this, unless you're reborn, unless you are recreated as a

new person. So, he tells Nicodemus.

The way to see the kingdom is not to keep working your way up,

but to be brought low, that's the way to be reborn to humble

yourself and realize that your righteousness and all of that

counts for nothing. So, how does Nicodemus respond

when Jesus says this? How does he respond to this

shocking news that you must be reborn?

Well, that's what we're going to look at today.

He answers with a question. So verse for let's read it one

more time. How can man be born again?

Or be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into

his mother's womb and be born? So this idea of being reborn,

this would have been not only shocking but it would have been

very foreign to Nicodemus. Okay, the words, like reborn and

new birth and new life would have not been.

Those would not have been common phrases for Nick.

Okay. That's that's things that we

hear a lot in our culture, we might have grown up in church

hearing these terms, but he would not have heard language

like this. Now, he should have been

familiar with the concept to a degree.

Cow pointed out last week. That as the teacher of the Jews

and leading Pharisee, he should have known some Old Testament

passages, like Ezekiel 36 that talk about God, giving us a new

heart and a new spirit. He should have known this but

it's flying right over his head, he's not recalling, he's

confused whatever. But all of that is escaping him.

So this idea of being reborn, this is something confusing to

Nick, okay, he's not Not understanding what Jesus is

talking about. So so he's asking he's not

asking tell me when Jesus says, unless man is born again.

He cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven.

Nicodemus isn't asking, okay, what are those steps?

Let me write that down. What?

Step one? What?

Step to tell me the process. Tell me how when he's asking,

how can man be born when he's old?

He's asking what are you talking about?

What do you mean be born again? How is that even possible?

it's like he's saying, So you want me to go find my mom?

And let's go back to the hospital and try this over

again. Like, is that what you're

saying? I what do you mean?

Be born again. He's asking Jesus.

How what? Huh he's just he's not

understanding. So there was this need for

clarity here Nicodemus. Needed to understand what it

was. Jesus was talking about when he

was saying that man must be reborn if he wants to see the

Kingdom of Heaven. He needed some clarification,

right? He needed to clearly understand.

And what Jesus is talking about. So what does it mean to be

reborn? That is a question that I want

us to ask and consider today. What does it mean to be reborn?

How would you? How would you answer that

question? If someone asked you, I want to

put forward to you today as kind of my main thought here are big

takeaway today. This idea to be reborn is to

have your heart mind and soul. Transformed into the likeness of

Christ. Now, there's a thousand

different ways we could Define being reborn or being saved.

That's the term. We use a lot around here is

being saved. There's a thousand different

ways we could word this but to try to condense it down into a

Punchy way that will understand it today.

That's where I'm going to land on it.

So anytime you're talking about what something is or trying to

define something one. Good way to help is to start out

by saying what it is not. Okay?

So we're going to do that really quick.

Let's talk about what what being reborn is not.

Okay. So again reborn same thing as

being saved. That might be a way that you

might understand it better. So that's what we're talking

about. Okay, let's get that out of the

way first. What it is not, it is not

physical rebirth, okay? Nicodemus, you know uses the

same analogy or same metaphor that Jesus used to ask and that

be done. You talking physically.

What are we talking here? We know that's not the case.

Okay, so let's just get that out right out of the gate, it's not

physical, okay? Being reborn is not fixing

yourself up a little bit, okay? It's not taking who you are and

what you are and just kind of polishing it up a bit.

It's not that It is not deciding to do the right thing.

It is not saying, okay, I'm going to start going to church

now, that's the right thing to do.

That's the good thing to do, right?

That will surely, the Lord will let me into heaven.

If I go to church every week, It's not putting money in a bag.

It's not helping someone in need, it's not being a good

person. Being reborn is none of those

things. You can be the best person in

the world that donates tons of money and never misses a service

and not be reborn. So being reborn reborn is not

just trying to clean yourself up a little and just do a lot of

good things. A great example of this.

Okay, just I'm just trying to kind of Drive the point home

here, over the last several weeks, we've been repainting,

some of the doors in the hallway to the classrooms because they

desperately need it. The Paul enjoys have come and

help me do this. We've painted a few doors.

And so anybody that's ever painted knows that when you use

a roller you have a Recover, those things are made.

They are designed to absorb paint, right?

That's what they're made for. And depending on what you're

painting, you can have thicker ones or thinner ones and all of

that, but that's what they're made to do, is soak in paint.

When you get done painting with one of those things, if you

don't clean that thing out really, really well.

And you try to use it again, you're in a world of trouble,

right? James.

So you take an old roller cover that you didn't get clean.

Very well that paint does, what it's supposed to do it.

It's soaked in and it's going to get hard.

It's going to be gross and you're going to be dipping this

corn cob into some paint trying to roll with it and it's just

not going to work. You have to get all the paint

out or, you know, if it's a cheap roller cover just toss it

and get a new one, right? So that's a really bad analogy,

but I'm just trying to make the point that being reborn isn't

just trying to clean ourselves up a little bit.

It's not just taking what we are and putting a Fresh coat of

paint on it. It's not using that old nasty

roller to try to do a job. The different color.

You have to understand that you as you are are not good enough.

You're not good enough to earn your way into heaven.

That it doesn't work like that. You're a nasty roller cover.

Should he use that analogy but whatever since saturates the

very fiber of who we are, okay. It penetrates to the depths to

our soul in our heart and every thought every fiber of our being

is sinful because of the Fall because of the Kursk.

I'll cover this very well and his previous sermons.

It's saturates all the way down. It's not just a little bit here.

You just kind of wipe off and keep on going.

It's who you are. You are a sinner by birth.

So you don't need as Lawson said, and Kyle pointed out you

don't need resuscitation you need a resurrection.

You are dying in your sin. You are dead in your sin.

Does that sound kind of familiar.

Like maybe if you've read that in your Bible somewhere.

Ephesians 2 says, you were dead in the trespasses and sins in

which you once walked dead not dying.

Not kind of a little bit, a little bit bad because of the,

some of that little send stuff you are dead in your sins.

Trespasses. You aren't drowning and you just

need someone to throw you that life preserver.

So you can grab on and you'll be okay.

You don't need a little bit of assistance.

You are dead in your sins. Dead beyond the dead.

You're not just dead. You You've died.

You you are you're not drowning. You're at the bottom of the

ocean, as a pile of bones. That's how dead you are.

You've been dead. It's just bones.

Your skeleton. So you you are a sinner and what

that sin has earned, you is eternity and a lake of fire.

That's what you've earned. That's what's fair.

That's what's just because God is just and fair, right?

That's what you deserve. As a sinner.

Born sinful. That's why we have to be reborn.

That's the need. That's where the need comes in

there has to be rebirth, otherwise we get what we deserve

without rebirth, that's what we get, that's what we've earned.

So being reborn is not just adding a few good habits to your

schedule. That's not what rebirth is.

So let's talk about what it is. Okay.

Now let's get to the good stuff. I know that's kind of a bleak

picture, but let's talk about the good part now, Is what

rebirth is what it? What does it mean?

Well, just like Jesus Is Telling Nick here.

You have to be reborn. You have to start over.

You have to be recreated into a brand new person.

You cannot stay the same period the old you must die.

You must be crucified with Christ just like he was

crucified on that cross. So you're saying I'm not good

enough. The way I am that sin has

saturated every fiber of my being and I know what I am.

I'm a sinner, my heart, my mind, my soul are stained with sin and

I am not good enough on my own, but Jesus is He is perfect.

He is righteous. He is Holy.

He is all those things. Therefore, because I am not

those things. And he is those things.

I'm going to turn to him and say, where does my righteousness

come from? Where does my goodness come

from? Not for me.

It has to come from him. It's not even about me anymore.

I just want to be with him. I want to take on what he is on

to myself. Romans 10:9 says, if you confess

Romans 10:9

with your mouth, that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart,

that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved this

process of acknowledging that I'm not good enough, but he is.

And so, all my faith, All My Hope goes in him and what he's

done on that cross. Like, you know, I don't know

what it's going to be. Like, one of these days when we

all get to heaven. I don't know if you're going to

stand before the Pearly gate, I don't know all those details.

But hypothetically, if you were Were and you got there and

someone's there saying, why do you deserve to get in?

It's not going to be well because I did this and this and

this and this and this it's going to be.

I don't deserve to get in. But Jesus is he's my Lord and my

savior and his righteousness has been put on me because I trust

in him. It's because of him that I

should get in, not because of me.

So when we do this, when we turn to him in faith acknowledging,

our own sin and Trusting only in him, only in his goodness.

Not, any of my works are good enough when we realized that,

when we realize our sin and our depravity something starts to

happen, This process of being reborn is a supernatural thing.

It is it's amazing. It blows my mind when we realize

our sin. And that our only hope is in

Christ and that we have to, with full abandoned give ourselves to

him, make me what you will use me.

However, you will, I'll do whatever God I am yours, I cast

myself at your feet when we do this, God's God changes us.

He takes that, that nasty sin-stained soul and he makes it

new. He takes those dry dead bones

that I was talking about. About and he breathes new life

into those bones. It is a supernatural act of God

and the very essence of your being.

Your soul is recreated into a New Soul.

Now, the ladies have just read about this a little bit in a

book that they're reading and biblical Womanhood, that talks

about that. That's that's who you are right

at your soul. It's not your your body and it's

not your thoughts and your memories and all that.

It's your soul. That's What Makes You Who You

Are. and God takes that and he recreates it, you are reborn a

new person, a new being, you have a new heart, a new mind, a

new spirit within you the Holy Spirit within you now.

Ezekiel 36:26 through 27 calls read this already.

Ezekiel 36:26–27

This is the passage Nicodemus should have known, but it says

this, I will give you a new heart and a new spirit.

I will put within you and I will remove the Heart of Stone from

your flesh and I will give you a heart of Flesh.

I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my

statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

And then Romans 12:2 says, don't be conformed to this world but

Romans 12:2

be transformed by the renewal of your mind that by testing you

may discern. What is the will of God, what is

good and acceptable and perfect. So we see here, God gives us a

new heart. A new spirit, our minds are

transformed. And because of that we now have

new thoughts, new affections, new passions, new desires.

We no longer think the way we used to think, I don't act.

The way I used to act. I don't talk the way I used to

talk. I'm Different.

I've been reborn, I'm a new person.

You guys know what I'm talking about.

You seen this in the hopefully in yourself, but we've seen this

and people, there are some people that their conversion.

Is this dramatic 180? They were man, they were really

bad. And now look at them, their

preacher I mean, we've all seen this, it doesn't look the same

for everybody but it should be that you are a new person in

Christ. Now It's therefore if anyone is

in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away and

behold the new has come second Corinthians 5:17.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Anyone who understands this? And as experience this

understood, the depth of their sin and understood that Christ,

saved them from that and made them new ought to have reason

today to say, hallelujah and amen.

I'm not saying that just to get a men's from you guys.

I'm just saying, even if its internal like, this should be

cause to Rejoice. What else in this world is there

worth praising God. And singing about It's amazing.

It's a supernatural thing. This is what being reborn is

it's a complete change your a completely new person again just

to restate it. Being reborn.

What it actually means is that you are being renewed, your

soul, your mind, your heart are transformed into his likeness.

Now that's what being reborn is. That's what it means.

And so I want to I want to ask you now as we think through how

this applies to us. What I asked you.

Do you do you truly understand what it means to be reborn?

Do you really, do you really understand?

What we mean? When we say being reborn or

being saved, The I hope maybe this is helps help shed some

light on it, but even if this is just been nothing, do you

comprehend this? Do you get it?

Or are we, are you still like Nicodemus where it's just like

completely missing the point? If someone was to ask, you kind

of like the Philippian, Jailer asked Paul and Silas Lee what

must I do to be saved. maybe someone realizes finally, I'm a

sinner and I need a savior, like, I understand I'm a sinner

and I understand the penalty for that, the wages of sin is Deaf

like maybe they finally get it. It finally clicks and it's not

just something out there but it's in here and I understand

that. Now, what do I do?

What must I do to be saved? Could you could you tell them

what being reborn means? Could you have that

conversation? Or even more important not that

I'm saying, we should all have this really great Theology and

working knowledge of how to explain the step by step

process, not saying that, but even more important than knowing

it, have you experienced this today?

Can you confidently say I'm not the person.

I once was Have you been Reborn? It's the the most important

question you could ever answer in your life, and it that

answer, Means more than anything else.

Do you understand this? Have you experienced rebirth?

I always used to hear this growing up.

I don't want to make anyone doubt their salvation, I get it.

I don't want to do that either. I don't want to take scripture

and twisted and make God loving God-fearing Christians, think

that they can lose their salvation or that they're not

saved. But what I do want you to do is

take a long hard, look at your life, and look at the fruit in

your life. Do you see good fruit?

This book is pretty clear about how you can know a tree, whether

it's good or bad. You look at the fruit hanging

off the branches. Do you see good fruit in your

life or do you see bad fruit? Have you have you crucified the

old self and being reborn in a new person with a new heart?

A new mind, new affections, new thoughts.

Have you been resurrected to New Life?

Do you have the Holy Spirit living within you?

Do you walk with the Lord? Do you love God?

Do you want to learn more about him?

Are you hungry for his word so that you can learn more about

God and learn more about. Look, there's no end to learning

about God and his character right there.

We, none of us. Have that figured out.

We'll never figure all that out. So are you still hungry to learn

more and more and more about God?

And as you do, does it deepen, your faith in him?

Does it make you praise him, more and more, the more you

learn about how huge he is. Do you love to read your Bible?

Do you love to gather with your brothers and sisters and worship

once a week? Do you love to do these things

that you care about these things?

You desire to grow in these things?

Or is all of it, just a burden. Is being here, a burden every

week. Is Jesus a burden to you?

Or is he your Delight? I want everybody here to be able

to say with confidence. I have been reborn.

I'm not the person I used to be. I love God.

I cast myself at God's feet. I'm growing, I'm still learning.

I still make mistakes, but I am not the person.

I once was and I want to keep growing.

I know that I'm Reborn. I want everybody to be able to

confidently, say yesterday that I don't want you to have any

doubt about that. And thus the need for clarity.

That's why we must clearly understand what it means to be

born again. That's why Nicodemus needed to

understand what Jesus was talking about.

And as we keep going in this story, Steve's going to preach

next week, we're going to learn more and more about how Jesus

answers this question for Nicodemus.

But I want to make sure this morning.

Everybody in this room has a clear understanding of what

we're talking about when we say being reborn.

It's not making another trip to the hospital to go.

Try it over again. It's this.

Have you been Reborn? So, I'm going to ask the worship

team to come up. I just have a couple of last

thoughts for you guys before we leave this morning.

I want to challenge you guys, okay?

I want to challenge everyone in here.

So stay with me for three more minutes.

I want to issue a challenge to you today.

I want you to look at your life and look at the fruit in your

life and honestly answer that question.

Have I been reborn if you're in this place and you're a Believer

and you can answer yes to that question.

Praise God. We're about to sing.

I want you to just remember that.

Remember, your own salvation, your own rebirth and praise God

for that. Sing out to him.

Like, you haven't in a long time and remember, you're not the

person you used to be and that's worth singing to him for, okay?

So praise God, if that's you this morning, but if it's not,

if you can't say with confidence, that that's me.

If you look and you see bad fruit, I plead with you today to

recognize that you are a sinner in need of rebirth, Just like

Nicodemus needed rebirth. Look, he was the most righteous

guy in his time. He was the man and Jesus said,

you got to start over, you need to be reborn.

And if that was the case for Nicodemus, that's the case for

anyone in this room who's never placed their faith in Christ.

Without that you will perish. And so I plead with you today,

if you've never placed your faith in Christ to do, so place

your trust in your, hope in him and his righteousness, not your

own. You will be saved.

We don't do altar calls here where I'm going to pressure, you

to come down front, repeat some prayer.

Just so I can say hey we had some people get saved today but

I'm going to stand right down here.

If anybody wants to come talk to me, I'm glad to talk about this

Kyle talk about it. Alan will talk about movies up

here right now but he'll talk to you after it's over.

If you don't know for sure come talk to someone schedule, an

appointment, come talk to us this week or something that

whenever just the holy spirit is Convicting you this morning,

don't just ignore that. Don't just stuff that down.

I ask no big deal. I got a little emotional.

No big deal though. Follow through with that, listen

to the Holy Spirit. Listen to God, don't go out of

this place today without knowing for sure, if you can

confidently, say, I've been reborn.

Amen. I mean, I love you guys.

It's been good to preach this morning.

Let's sing and praise. Thank God for that this morning,

men. Convicting you this morning,

don't just ignore that. Don't just stuff that down.

I ask no big deal. I got a little emotional.

No big deal though. Follow through with that, listen

to the Holy Spirit. Listen to God, don't go out of

this place today without knowing for sure, if you can

confidently, say, I've been reborn.

Amen. I mean, I love you guys.

It's been good to preach this morning.

Let's sing and praise. Thank God for that this morning,

men.